Back To Life
by GwenOwenforever
Summary: Strange things are happening to Owen as he realises he's falling in love with Gwen. Could he be coming back to life?
1. Chapter 1

******Disclaimer:** I own none of these amazing Torchwood characters! =(

******A/N:** Set a few weeks after Martha left in "A Day In The Death". I know this would probably never happen – well actually it can't now, but…it's wishful thinking! Sorry for writing yet ___another_ Gwen and Owen fanfic but I just love that pairing! Rated M for a reason so please don't read if you don't like that kind of thing and are under 18! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!

Owen walked through the rolling door to the Hub, early for the third morning in a row. There was no reason for him to be late now. He couldn't get drunk and wake up late with a hangover the next morning. He couldn't eat or drink and he couldn't sleep.

Gwen smiled weakly at him as he sat down at his computer desk. Faint tear tracks ran down her cheeks where she'd obviously been crying. She'd left Rhys a few days ago after they'd both decided their relationship wasn't working.

Owen longed to reach out and hug her. He wanted so much to tell her it would be alright and that he…he loved her.

"Are you ok Owen?" She asked.

He realised he was staring at her and quickly looked away.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Well…apart from the fact that I'm dead." He nodded. "Are you…how are you today?"

"I'll live." She sighed.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she tried to wipe it away before he noticed.

"Come here." He said softly.

She leant into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He wished he could feel her in his arms and smell her strawberry scented shampoo. Gwen clung tight onto the front of his shirt and cried into it.

After a few minutes, she pulled away and straightened it out.

"Sorry…I just…today was meant to be my wedding…oh look at you, your shirt's all wet." She giggled half-heartedly.

"It's fine, I can't feel it." He shrugged.

Silence fell between them as they gazed into each other's eyes. Owen tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with his thumb. Neither of them noticed Jack coming out of his office.

"Hey Owen, good to see you're here nice and early again." He smiled.

Gwen and Owen snapped their heads to look up at him.

"Erm…yeah well, I don't exactly need to sleep any more. Plus, now I can't do any of my favourite things, I just sort of hover around my flat. Might as well make myself useful here." Owen replied.

"Which reminds me, I need you to finish that report on the autopsy you did the other day." Jack told him.

"I'm on it." He sighed and turned towards his computer.

"Gwen, you ok?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She nodded.

"Listen, my office is always open if you need to talk." He smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Jack but I think I'll be ok." She smiled.

He squeezed her shoulder gently before returning to his office.

Owen knew she appreciated Jack's offer but she wouldn't use it. The only person she would truly speak to was Owen.

"You know you're still welcome round mine if you want a chat or whatever." Owen told her.

"Thanks Owen but you don't want me wasting your time." She smiled.

"I've got a lot of time these days and you wouldn't be wasting it. I enjoy spending time with you. Listen why don't you come round tonight?" He asked.

"Yeah…yeah ok." She nodded, smiling at him.

"Cool, I'll order you a pizza and you can stay over if you want." He suggested.

"I'd like that." She smiled.

Silence fell over them again as they shared a sweet smile. Owen knew if his heart was still beating, it would have swollen to twice it's size as he gazed at her. He looked away quickly as Gwen started to blush and hid her face in her hair.

"So…where're Tosh and Ianto?" Owen asked.

"Weevils in the city centre." Gwen answered. "Popped out in front of a few morning shoppers and scared them half to death."

At that moment, Tosh and Ianto walked through the cog door.

"Weevils all sorted." Ianto called.

Jack appeared in the doorway of his office and smiled at the Welshman.

"Well done guys. Ianto, care to join me down in the archives." He smirked.

Ianto's eyes widened as he quickly looked around at the other members of the team. Tosh was giggling, Gwen's eyebrow was raised and a smile on her face and Owen was smirking. Ianto shrugged and nodded.

"Jack's getting worse." Tosh grinned.

Gwen giggled, a sound that Owen knew well.

A few hours later, Gwen and Owen were running through the now dark streets of Cardiff chasing after a Nostravite.

When they split up, it had managed to corner Gwen. Her back was pressed up against the wall as it lunged at her.

All of a sudden, it exploded covering Gwen in thick black blood. She looked up and saw Owen holding the huge gun Jack had armed them with. She sighed in relief as he held his hand out to her.

"Come on, let's get you back to the Hub." He laughed.

Gwen wiped the Nostravite blood from her face as she climbed into the SUV.

When they reached the Hub, Owen put the gun away and went to go down to the autopsy bay while Gwen showered. She grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Owen…come with me." She whispered.

He saw that she needed someone to comfort her. He nodded and followed her down to the Hub showers.

They were silent as they peeled off their clothes, staring into each other's eyes. As Owen went to put a waterproof bandage over his wound, Gwen took it from him and started to put it on. He wished he could feel her nimble fingers gently brush his skin.

Gwen frowned at the wound and looked up at him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing it just…looks different…smaller somehow." She told him.

Owen looked down at the hole in his chest. It did look smaller.

"Weird…" Owen frowned.

Gwen finished applying the dressing and placed her hand over where his heart should have been beating. Sighing sadly, she turned to switch on the shower. Water ran down the length of her body, a sight that Owen could never resist. Except this time, things were different. One, he was dead meaning nothing much could happen and two, this time Gwen was crying.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to...it's just..." She sobbed.

Owen pulled her into a tight hug against his chest, running his hands through her hair. Kissing the top of her head, he waited for her to calm down.

As her sobs gradually grew quiet, he took this as a cue to speak.

"Tell me what's wrong." He whispered.

"It's…everything." She answered. "I miss Rhys but…not as much as I should. I still love him but it's not enough especially when…when I'm in love with you."

Owen's hand in her hair froze. She pulled away and looked up at him.

"You…you're in love with me?" He stammered.

"Yes." She nodded. "I wish I'd have told you sooner. Things could have been different. Couldn't they?"

"Of course they could. If I were alive, things would be a lot different. Gwen…I…I love you too." He told her.

Lifting her face to his, he caught her lips in a gentle kiss. She sighed into it and moved her hands to his hair, locking them into place. Owen tried to remember the feel of her warm lips on his.

Gwen felt him freeze and when she opened her eyes, she saw him looking at her with wide eyes.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Nothing…we'd better hurry up, this water doesn't stay warm for very long and I don't want you to get cold." He told her.

He gently washed the blood from her and washed her hair. Gwen's eyes closed as he massaged her scalp.

When they stepped out, he wrapped a warm towel around her. She pulled him into the changing rooms and sat with him on one of the benches. As she placed her head on his shoulder, he pulled her onto his lap. If he was still living, when she placed her hand over his heart, she would have felt it beating, beating for her.

"Can't you feel anything?" Gwen asked curiously.

"No, not your hand on my chest. I can't even feel you sitting on my lap." Owen answered. He took her hand in his and held it up. "I can't feel anything."

That night, Gwen and Owen left the Hub together.

As they reached the car park, Gwen reached up to kiss him on the cheek. Again, Owen froze. He ran his fingers over the spot she kissed and frowned. He pulled his fingers away and looked at them. Shaking his head quickly, he turned to smile at her. She waited for him to say something but after a few minutes, she gave up.

"I'll be over later, I just need to get my overnight stuff ready." She told him.

"Ok, see you later. Usual pizza?" He asked.

"Erm…yeah, if you don't mind." She nodded. "I mean…it's not going to be awkward is it? You know…because you don't eat."

"No, it'll be fine." He shrugged.

"Ok, thanks." She smiled.

He kissed her, more for her benefit seeing as he couldn't feel anything, but he knew it would make her happy and that was what he wanted more than anything. When he pulled away, he smiled and ran his hand across her blushing cheek. She looked up shyly at him. Then suddenly, his hand was gone. He'd pulled it away as if he'd received an electric shock.

"Sorry…I'll see you later." He said quickly as he climbed into his car.

Gwen watched him go, confused and slightly hurt.

Owen entered his flat and rushed into the bathroom, tearing off his shirt and jacket as he went. He stood in front of the mirror and stared at the bullet hole in his chest. The wound had shrunk to about the size of a penny. He began to think about things that had happened at the Hub. When he'd kissed Gwen in the shower, for half a second he'd felt her lips moving against his. Then in the car park, he swore he'd felt her lips brush his cheek and the warmth of her soft skin against his hand. Was it real? Or was it just his imagination? If it was real what did it mean?

Gwen knocking on the door pulled him out of his thoughts. Glancing at the clock as he passed it, he saw he'd been in there for over an hour and a half.

"Hey." Gwen smiled as he opened the door. "How are…"

Her voice trailed off as her eyes widened and fell to his bare chest. He could see the desire in her eyes and smirked. She swallowed and looked up into his eyes, her face a deep shade of red.

"Come in." He grinned.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

"Put your stuff in the bedroom. I'll order the pizza." He told her. As she passed him, he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "Don't I get a hug or a kiss first?"

She dropped her bag on the floor and wrapped her arms around his waist. Looking deep into his eyes, she placed a kiss on his lips.

"That better?" She asked as she pulled away.

"Much better." He grinned.

Rolling her eyes, she picked her bag up and disappeared into his bedroom. He ordered her a meat feast pizza and poured a glass of wine.

As he walked into the living room, she reappeared and sat down on the sofa. He passed her the wine and joined her.

"Thanks. Owen…can we talk?" She asked.

"Sure, I'm always here if you need to talk, you know that." He told her.

"I know." She smiled. "Well…ok this would be a lot easier if you put your shirt back on."

"Sorry. Are you finding me too irresistible?" He chuckled as he grabbed his shirt.

"Shut up." She sighed. "No, I'm just trying to be serious." He pulled on his shirt and waited for her to continue. "I love you and…I know that it's pointless in me telling you this because…you're…you know and nothing could ever happen between us but…it doesn't mean I don't want to be with you. If you want that of course."

"Gwen, you know I love you and…I do want to be with you. Don't you think it's better though, for you to be with someone that can give you everything?" He said.

"But that's just it, I don't want to be with anybody else. All I want to do is be with the person I love and that's you." She argued.

"But I have nothing to offer you." He protested.

"Owen, that doesn't matter to me." She told him.

He gazed into her eyes, wishing things were different. Wishing he was still alive so he could take Gwen in his arms and give her all the love she deserved.

There was a knock on the door and Owen jumped off the sofa to answer it. The pizza delivery boy stood in the doorway, looking rather bored with his job.

"Wouldn't it be funny if a Weevil jumped in front of his delivery scooter? That would certainly liven things up for him." Owen thought.

He paid for the pizza and took it back in to Gwen, setting it on the table in front of her.

"Thanks. I'm just going to wash up." She told him and made her way towards his bathroom.

Owen stared at the pizza box on the table. He missed the days where he could sit and tuck into one of his own.

Glancing in the direction Gwen had just left, he sat down and opened the box. Tearing off a slice, he raised it slowly to his mouth and took a tiny bite. For a brief second, he swore he could taste the delicious mixture of melted cheese, spicy sausage and pepperoni. He took another bite and moved it slowly around his mouth. This time, there was a faint taste and it lasted much longer than the last time. He frowned as he put the slice down.

What was going on and what did it all mean? Was he starting to live again? He needed to know. He might finally be able to be with the woman he loved. Should he tell Gwen? No, he didn't want to get her hopes up.

Taking out his phone, he dialled the one number he could think of.

"Hello?" The voice said on the other end.

"Hey, Martha it's Owen. Listen, I need you to do me a favour." He told her.

"Owen I'd love to but I'm a bit busy at the moment." She sighed.

"Please Martha, this is important. Something…something weird is happening and I need you to help me find out what it is." He explained.

"Owen…I really can't…fine what is it?" She asked.

"Martha I think…I think I'm coming back." He whispered.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"I'm on my way. I'll be in Cardiff by morning and I'll come straight to the Hub." Martha replied after a few minutes.

The line went dead as Gwen walked back into the room. He quickly shoved his phone back in his pocket and smiled up at her as she sat down. Gwen looked at the bite mark in the pizza and back at him.

"Did you..?" She frowned.

"I got curious." He shrugged. "It was a disappointment though, I couldn't taste it."

"Oh…it must be terrible not to be able to do your favourite things." Gwen said sadly, completely missing Owen's lie.

He nodded and drooped his shoulders.

As Gwen ate the pizza, he watched her lovingly, running his fingers through her hair.

After having enough, Gwen placed half a slice back in the box and sat back, taking a deep breath.

"Are you ready for bed?" He asked.

"Yeah sure, I'll go get changed." She nodded.

"You're not shy about changing in front of me are you? I've seen you naked many times Gwen." He chuckled.

"I know but…" She struggled to find an argument.

"Come on." He sighed.

Rolling his eyes, Owen stood up, grabbed her hand and pulled her into his bedroom.

She smiled shyly as she changed into her black nightgown. It came to just above her knees, revealed a lot of cleavage and had thin shoulder straps that held it in place. Gwen's cheeks turned a bright shade of red as Owen stared at her, lust deep in his eyes. He cursed the fact that he had no blood running through his veins and stripped down to his boxers.

They slid into bed and looked into each other's eyes. He leant over to kiss her gently on her lips. She kissed him back hungrily. When he pulled away, he saw the need in her eyes.

"Owen…" She breathed.

He watched as she pulled the straps of her nightdress from her shoulders.

"Gwen…you know I can't…" He mumbled, frustrated.

"I know you can't…but…"

She grabbed his hand and held it for a few seconds before putting it on the hem of her dress, waiting for him to get the message. When he realised, he crushed his lips onto hers and pulled the dress from her. He had to guess how much pressure to apply as his hands roamed her body. From the sounds she was making, he guessed he was doing a pretty good job. Remembering from past experiences all the spots he knew sent her crazy, he kissed and felt his way around them. She writhed underneath him as her breathing became heavy. Her back arched up off the bed as he reached her most delicate area causing her to moan loudly.

"Tell me Gwen, do you like that?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes." She gasped. "Yes."

He used his other hand to gently massage her breasts. Sensing she was pretty close to the edge, he increased the speed of his hand in her lower regions. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she gripped onto his arms.

"You're so close Gwen. Come for darling." He whispered.

"Owen." She screamed as stars exploded in front of her eyes.

Pressing herself into him, her body shuddered as she came down from her high. She collapsed back onto the bed, breathing heavily and looking up at him through hooded eyes, clouded with lust. Removing his fingers from her, he held them up in front of his face and examined the sticky liquid coating them. He slipped them into his mouth and closed his eyes. Gwen groaned as she watched him, feeling the heat build up inside of her again. He opened his eyes and grinned down at her.

"You ok?" He asked.

She managed to nod in response as her eyes began to close. Wrapping the duvet around her, he watched as she slipped into a deep sleep. He leant up on his elbow and ran his thumb across her cheek. Moments like this, he wished could last forever. Just watching her sleep so peacefully made him feel happy.

Morning came too quick for his liking. Sunlight poured into the room, casting them into it's warm golden glow. Gwen stirred and opened her eyes. She looked up into Owen's chocolate brown eyes and smiled.

"Morning." She whispered, her voice thick from sleep.

"Morning, sleep well?" He asked.

"Yeah thanks. How was your night?" She replied.

"I enjoyed it. I like watching you sleep, especially when you start talking." He smirked.

Gwen's eyes widened and she sat up quickly, pulling the duvet tightly around her.

"What?" She demanded. "I didn't…what did I say?"

"Well, at first it was just a lot of very…interesting noises and then you said my name a lot and then…you said you loved me." He told her.

"I do." She smiled.

"I love you too." He smiled back at her.

This time when he leant in to kiss her, he definitely felt her soft lips against his. He cupped her cheek in his hand but he couldn't feel the warmth of her skin.

"Owen…you look…" Gwen shook her head, unable to describe it. "Different…"

Owen looked down at himself but he was unable to tell.

"How do you mean?" He asked.

"I don't know…there's more colour in your cheeks…I don't know, maybe it's just the light." She shrugged.

"Yeah, maybe." Owen nodded, mentally adding it to his list of symptoms. "We'd better get up, you know what Jack's like if we're late."

Gwen rolled her eyes but heaved herself out of bed. She stretched causing Owen to stare wide-eyed at her. As she looked back at him, she smiled shyly and bit her bottom lip.

"Care to join me in the shower?" She asked.

"Oh yes I would." He grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

Later that morning as they entered the Hub, Owen's phone vibrated in his pocket. Martha's name flashed up on the screen.

_"Owen, I'm almost there.  
B bout 5 minutes.  
M x"_

Owen quickly made his way down to the autopsy bay to get out the necessary equipment. He didn't notice Gwen walking out onto the balcony.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm just testing some of this equipment." He lied, keeping his back to her.

Gwen knew him too well. She knew he was hiding something but she shrugged and turned to leave.

"Jack, we have a visitor." Ianto's voice announced over the intercom.

"Tell them we're busy." Jack replied.

The cog door rolled open and the alarms sounded. Jack froze and beamed as he saw who it was.

"Jack Harkness, that's a lie and we both know it." Martha grinned as she stepped through.

"Martha Jones, you just couldn't keep away. I knew you found me irresistible." Jack teased.

"Actually Jack, I'm sorry to say it but I'm not here to see you. In fact I came to see Owen." She smiled.

Jack frowned and turned towards the autopsy bay. Gwen's eyes widened as she slowly turned back to look down at Owen.

He instantly knew what it must have looked like to her. Hurt replaced the shock on her face as she continued to stare at him and he couldn't bear to see her looking at him like that. Running up the steps, he pulled her into a hug and crushed his lips onto hers. When they broke away, the rest of the team and Martha stood looking at them, wide-eyed but he ignored them.

"I love you." He told her. "Martha's just here to help me with some research, I promise."

She nodded and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"I love you too." She whispered.

Owen gave her hand a squeeze before looking towards Martha.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Erm…yeah, sure." Martha nodded and joined him in the autopsy bay. Gwen went off to sit at her desk, Jack, Ianto and Tosh watching her in astonishment. She smiled shyly and tried not to look at Tosh as she saw her team mates head droop. "So…you and Gwen?" Martha asked as they stood in the autopsy bay.

"Yeah, we're sort of together now." Owen smiled, looking dreamily into space. She smiled at him. "That's one of the reasons why this is so important. I love her so much."

"Aaw Owen, you're so sweet." Martha giggled. "Hang on…I thought Gwen was engaged to Rhys."

"She was but they broke up. It's complicated and no offence but I'd appreciate it if you didn't ask her about it. It upsets her a lot." He explained.

"I won't, I promise." She agreed.

"And please don't tell anyone what we're doing. I don't want a big fuss and I don't want to get Gwen's hopes up." He told her.

"My lips are sealed." She nodded.

"Right, anyway…shall we get on?" He asked, diverting the conversation back to the point.

"Oh, yeah. Right, so what's been happening?" She asked, back in professional mode.

"It started yesterday. My scar…it looks smaller. I started feeling things again, only a quick burst but I definitely felt something. It was gone as soon as it came on. Then I could taste things again. Again it was only for a brief moment. This morning though…I kissed Gwen and…I felt it for longer and she said I had more colour in my cheeks." He explained.

"Ok, let me take a look at the scar." She nodded. Owen lifted his shirt and watched her face freeze in shock. "Erm…Owen…it's gone."

"What?" Owen looked down at his chest and sure enough, the scar was gone. "I don't understand, what's happening?"

"I don't know. Tell me if you feel anything." She told him.

She ran her hand over his chest, applying pressure in places. Owen closed his eyes and concentrated.

"There – I felt it." He said. She pressed down where her hand was, watching his face. "And again. It's only faint but there's something there."

"Right, let's check the energy levels." She said. She held up the device she'd used on him the last time. "Feels like déjà vu. Ok…so…I don't believe it, your energy levels are almost normal." Grabbing her stethoscope from her bag, she held it to his chest. "But still no heartbeat."

"Do you think I could be doing the same thing Suzie did to Gwen only slower?" Owen asked.

"Maybe, Jack brought you back. Maybe we should check him too." Martha suggested.

"I think we need to." Owen nodded.

She left the autopsy bay and headed to Jack's office. Gwen watched her curiously before turning back to her computer.

"Jack, we need you down in the autopsy bay." Martha announced as she entered the small room.

"Sure, what's up?" He asked as he followed her down.

His eyes fell upon Owen and he frowned as he saw the younger man tapping his arms.

"We need to check your energy levels." Martha answered. Jack looked at her questioningly. She glanced at Owen who nodded for her to explain. "Owen's had some interesting developments and we think he might be coming back. However, we need to make sure that Owen's not taking the energy from you."

"You're coming back?" Jack asked excitedly.

"We don't know for certain. That's why we need to do these tests." Owen explained.

"Ok, sure." Jack nodded.

Martha used the energy reader on him and checked the results.

"No, Jack's fine too." She told them. "You're not getting your energy from him but I want to keep my eye on you both just in case. I'll monitor all of Owen's developments over the next couple of days before we can conclude anything though."

Jack and Owen nodded at her. As they left the autopsy room, Owen held Jack back.

"Is it possible?" Owen asked.

"I don't know. We never figured out what either of the gloves really did and since both were destroyed, we can't try." He sighed. "When you first felt something, what were you doing?"

"I was kissing Gwen." Owen answered.

"And the time after that?" Jack asked.

"She kissed me." He replied.

"Maybe love triggered something. The glove I used on you brings people back to life but not all the way. If they find true love, maybe the glove gives them a second chance at life." Jack suggested.

"Maybe…don't tell anyone about this yet Jack." Owen whispered.

Jack mimed zipping up his lips and throwing away the key before turning and disappearing back to his office.

Over the next couple of days, Owen tried not to spend too much time with Gwen. It hurt them both but he didn't want her to get excited over something that could turn out to be nothing.

He began to feel and taste things again, his senses lasting much longer every day. When he'd first drank something after he'd died, it just sat in his stomach but this time, he could feel his body slowly digesting the tiny amounts of food and drink he'd had. He felt a hot searing pain in his finger as it knitted itself back together and healed. When he caught sight of Gwen stretching out of the corner of his eye, her shirt riding up over her perfect stomach, he felt himself twitching. Martha could find nothing to say he was draining the energy from Jack.

One day while they were in the autopsy bay, Owen suddenly fell to his knees clutching his chest.

"Owen." Martha shouted.

Jack grabbed him as he began to gasp as his lungs started to kick into use again and lay him down on the autopsy table. Owen's eyes closed as he slipped into unconsciousness. Martha and Jack watched, holding their breath.

"Is he ok?" Jack asked.

Martha reached for his wrist and pressed two fingers to his pulse point.

"He's got a pulse…Owen's alive." Martha whispered.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around the room.

"Oh my God, am I…my heart…I'm alive." He laughed.

As he sat up, Jack and Martha pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"I can't believe it." Jack grinned, tears streaming down his face. "I knew it was worth waiting for that miracle."

"Yeah, Jack…can't breath." Owen gasped. Jack let go of him and ruffled his hair. They watched as Owen took a deep breath and smiled. "You have no idea how good it feels to be able to do that again."

Martha grinned, tears spilling down her face, as she watched him run his fingers over everything in his reach.

"Sorry to break this magical moment, but isn't there someone else you need to talk to?" Jack hinted.

Owen looked up at him and nodded.

"Can you send her down?" He asked.

Jack nodded and left the room.

"I still can't believe it." Martha whispered. "You're alive."

She left the autopsy bay, shaking her head in amazement as Gwen stepped out onto the balcony. Her eyes locked with his and they remained silent.

Owen felt a pang in his heart as he saw the deep sadness in her eyes. He knew he'd hurt her when he started to avoid her without telling her why.

"Gwen, there's something important I need to tell you." He said quietly.

She silently walked down the stairs and stood in front of him, neither breaking eye contact.

"Owen, I'm sorry if I scared you off. I shouldn't have taken things so fast. It's just -"

"No, Gwen it's not that." He interrupted.

"Oh, well…then if you've realised you don't feel the same way about me, I understand. You and Martha -"

"No, Gwen listen to me. I love you, I mean I've fallen head over heels in love with you. You're the one I think about all day every day. There's no one but you." He told her.

"Then…what is it?" She asked.

"I'm back. I'm alive." He answered.

He couldn't read the expression on her face as she stared at him.

"That's not funny Owen." She mumbled.

"I'm being serious. I started to feel things again, that's why I asked Martha to come down. She's been helping me find out what's going on." He explained.

"This is a sick joke. Do you realise how much this hurts? Stop it." She shouted, tears flowing freely from her eyes.

As she turned to storm out, Owen caught her arm and span her back round to face him. Ripping open his shirt, he held her hand over his beating heart. She gasped and stared wide-eyed at his chest.

"It's true. I'm back." He whispered.

"You're…you're alive…how…you're…" She stammered. He nodded and smiled at her. He was attacked by Gwen's arms wrapping tightly around his neck and her lips crushing onto his. The force of her assault made him stumble back against the wall. His arms snaked around her waist as he kissed her back. She ran her hands over his bare chest causing him to moan into the kiss. "Can you feel that?"

He flipped them around so she had her back against the wall and pressed himself into her.

"What do you think?" He asked in her ear.

She felt his manhood press against her leg. The heat began to grow in the pit of her stomach and she pulled his lips back to hers. They both needed to release the passion and fire that they'd longed for since it all began.

"Owen, I need you." Gwen panted as he trailed kisses down her neck.

With a growl, Owen pulled her quickly out of the autopsy bay and across the Hub towards the exit.

Tosh moved in front of him.

"Is it true? Jack said you're back. Has it really happened?" Tosh asked.

"Not yet, you're in the way." Owen huffed.

"What…oh." Tosh said as she realised what he meant. She tried to not look too hurt as she glanced between Gwen and Owen and their hands entwined between them. "But…you're really back?"

"Yes Tosh, I'm alive. Now will you please move?" Owen asked impatiently.

"Yeah, sorry…it's great that you're back though." She smiled weakly.

"Yep, thanks, great." Owen said quickly. "Come on Gwen."

As he pulled her out of the Hub, Gwen shot an apologetic look back at Tosh but she wasn't looking at them. She was looking at the floor and Gwen thought she saw a single tear fall down her cheek.

"Owen…I don't think I can do this." Gwen sighed.

"What? Why not?" He demanded.

"Toshiko's our friend and I don't think I can do this to her. She loves you too." Gwen told him.

"If she's our friend, she'll learn to be happy for us." Owen argued.

"I know…it just feels like I'm rubbing it in her face." Gwen mumbled.

"She'll be fine. Please Gwen, I love you. Don't let us go." He begged, placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "Do you still want to do this?" He asked as he pulled away.

She knew he didn't just mean what they were about to do.

"I do, yes." She nodded. "I love you."

"Good, now can we please go to my place? This is starting to get really uncomfortable." He complained, indicating the bulge in his pants.

Giggling, she pulled him towards his car.

"Come on." She sighed.

When they reached his flat, they stumbled through the door, hands roaming each other's body and their tongues clashing as they battled for dominance. Owen guided her towards his room without breaking the kiss. Gwen pushed his jacket off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor. His shirt was still open and was the next thing to go.

By the time they reached his bed, their shoes along with Gwen's t-shirt had been discarded. Owen pushed her gently down on the bed and placed a leg either side of her as he climbed on with her. He ran his finger over the waistband of her jeans. Hooking his fingers into the belt loops, he started to pull them down. She wriggled her hips to help as he pulled her jeans down her legs, kissing every inch of skin he uncovered. He pulled back to look down at her hungrily. Her chest rising and falling quickly as she gazed back up at him. He brushed fingers over her pants, causing her to moan and push her hips up to his hand.

"So wet." He growled.

She finished the job of tearing off her bra and pants and flung them across the room. Sitting up, she captured his lips in a fiery kiss.

"Lie back." She whispered.

He did as she asked and she positioned herself over him. Making quick work of his trousers and boxers, she straddled his legs and smirked down at him. She bent down, placing kisses over his hips and down to his manhood, stopping just before it. He groaned as she pulled away. He felt her hot lips on his thigh, slowly moving up before moving to his other leg. She heard his breath hitch as she finally took him into her mouth. His hips bucked up, pushing himself further into her mouth. Smirking, she pulled almost all the way up. She ran her tongue over the tip, licking off the liquid that was seeping out. His hands ran through her hair as he groaned at her actions. He looked down at her as she bobbed her head up and down. She was staring back at him through her thick eyelashes.

"Gwen…I don't think…I can't…" He gasped.

She sat up grinning and shuffled herself forward, hovering over his throbbing erection. Capturing his lips in a passionate kiss, she lowered herself onto him. He moaned into the kiss and gripped her hips in his hands tightly. She slowly moved up and down, rocking her hips. He thrust his hips up to meet hers, pushing himself deeper inside of her. She gasped as her head fell back and her eyes closed. Placing her hands on his chest, she sped up the movement as he thrust his hips to match. Flipping them over so he was on top, Gwen wrapped her legs tight around his waist as he sped things up further. Placing open mouthed kisses across her chest, he felt her tighten around him.

"Owen…more…" She breathed.

Curling her fingers into his hair, she pulled his face down to hers and plunged her tongue into his mouth.

"Come with me." He whispered as he felt himself draw closer to the edge.

He used his fingers to massage her delicate bundle.

With one last thrust, she screamed loudly and clutched at him as they both fell over the top, their juices flowing freely over each other. Owen collapsed on top of her, panting into her shoulder. She turned her head to find his lips. She kissed him gently and wrapped her arms around him. Their bodies, covered in sweat, were still connected as they caught their breath.

"I love you Owen Harper." She smiled.

"Love you more." He replied.

Rolling off of her, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at her. She placed her hand over his heart and smiled up at him.

"You really are back." She smiled. "We should do something to celebrate. What do you want to do?"

"Well…more of this, a lot more of this…" He grinned, earning a playful smack on his arm. "Anything, really. I want to do all my favourite things: eat, sleep, get pissed, shag – just you though. Anything that involves being with you."

She stared up into his chocolate brown eyes and saw the love that was reflected in hers. They kissed, pouring all their love into one sweet and tender kiss. Gwen felt as if she were in a movie, fireworks exploding in the background with romantic music playing in the background. When they broke apart, she sighed happily and snuggled into him.

"I'm sure Jack will give us the day off tomorrow. We can go out and do all the things you've missed." She told him. "For now though, why don't we go out and do the third option on your list."

"You're amazing." Owen grinned.

"Come on, let's get dressed." She smiled.

He watched her get up and search for her clothes. That's when he knew he'd always loved Gwen Cooper and always would. That was when he knew he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

As she turned to look at him, adoration saturated in her eyes, his heart swelled and he felt warmth that he hadn't felt since joining Torchwood.

Smiling at her, he stood up and walked over to her. Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her, hoping to communicate just how much she meant to him. He rested his forehead against hers and looked deep into her big green eyes.

"I love you." He whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

******A/N:** I know I keep adding chapters to fics that are completed but I just felt something more needed to be added to this one. This chapter is about how Owen deals with coming back and I wrote it because I felt the last chapter didn't do that.

After getting dressed at Owen's, they walked over to Gwen's. She'd forced him to wear one of his new shirts and a presentable pair of jeans for their evening.

As they walked through the streets of Cardiff, he grabbed onto her hand and threaded his fingers through hers. He couldn't help but stare down at them as he felt the warmth and softness of her hand in his. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand back.

"It's still so weird. It's like getting your sight back after years of being able to only see darkness. The world looks shiny and new and...a little bit frightening." He told her.

"Frightening? Why is it frightening?" She asked.

"Because I've only just got everything back and it could be taken away from me at any moment. I mean, is this just some cruel game someone's playing? Letting me have everything I've ever wanted and getting my hopes up then snatching it away again." He explained.

They'd reached Gwen's flat and were standing outside the door. Before she opened it, she turned to him and stared into his eyes.

"Owen, you're alive and no one is going to take that away again. I won't let them. You're back for good, I promise." She said.

"But how do you know that?" He asked.

"I just do." She answered. As she let them in, she took off her jacket and threw it over the back of the sofa. "Make yourself at home. There's a bottle of wine somewhere, you can pour yourself a glass. I'm just going to have a shower and get changed."

Owen sat down on Gwen's sofa and nodded. She bent down and placed her hands on his knees as she kissed him gently. He smiled as she disappeared into the bathroom.

Looking around, he noticed the tidiness of the flat. It was so different to how he'd imagined it. Her desk at the Hub was a disorganised mess with pens and bits of paper and general rubbish scattered all over it. It probably didn't help that his desk was right next to hers and his clutter usually spilled onto hers.

As he breathed in, he breathed in Gwen's unique scent, the scent he'd memorised and missed.

He found the bottle of wine and poured them both a glass as he waited for her. He closed his eyes as the wine slipped down his throat, savouring the taste.

The sound of the shower being turned off and Gwen's footsteps padding into her room, broke him out of his thoughts. A wave of her strawberry scented shampoo wafted through to him causing him to smile. He'd never get enough of that.

"Gwen, I've poured you a glass of wine." He shouted.

"Cheers, I'll be out in a minute." She called back.

"Do you want me to bring it in to you?" He asked as he made his way towards her room.

"No just leave it on the table. Don't come in." She said quickly.

"Why not?" He laughed.

The door opened and she poked her head around it. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and he could see her clutching at the one around her.

"Just go and sit down will you. I'll be out in a minute." She grinned.

She waited until he'd sat down before closing the door behind him.

He waited impatiently for her to come out again.

As he set his glass down on the table almost an hour later, Gwen walked into the room and stood in the doorway. He froze when he saw her and he felt his eyes pop out of their sockets.

"Wow." He breathed.

"How do I look?" She asked.

Gwen was wearing a floor length backless black dress with a belt that tied around the waist. The neckline dipped low to show off her cleavage. She'd tied her hair into a bun and curled some free strands and let them fall around her face. Her eyes were lined with black eye-liner which drew out the green in her eyes.

"You look beautiful." He smiled at the angel in front of him.

She grinned and he watched as her face flushed red as she looked away shyly.

"Thanks." She mumbled.

They sat on the sofa together and sipped their wine, smiling at each other over the tops of their glasses.

Once they'd finished, Owen took the glass from her hand and leant in to capture her lips with his. His held her face in his hand and she sighed into the kiss.

"Ready to go?" He asked.

She smiled and nodded. She grabbed a small black handbag big enough to just fit her purse and her phone and dialled for a cab. If they were going to get pissed, she didn't want either of them having to worry about driving home.

Gwen sat in the front while Owen climbed in the back. He ran his hands over the upholstery and over the door handle and switches. The driver watched him in the mirror, his eyebrows raised.

"Is he ok?" He asked.

Gwen looked over her shoulder and smiled as Owen stared at his hands.

"He's fine." She answered.

When they entered the club, the smell of cigarettes, stale beer and sweat hit Owen straight away. The heat of the tightly packed bodies overwhelmed him slightly. It was going to take a while to get used to this again. He also noticed how the alcohol he drank affected him quicker than it used to. His body wasn't used to the intake of alcohol any more.

By the time they left the club, both were unsteady on their feet. Gwen pulled off her heels from her aching feet and walked barefoot.

"I'll wave down a taxi." Owen slurred.

He stumbled into the middle of the road and waved his hands above his head.

Eventually a cab stopped and they climbed in. Once they'd climbed into the back, Owen gave his address to the driver. Luckily, the driver had dealt with many drunk customers before and had learnt to work out what they were saying.

Gwen grabbed Owen's arm and yanked him back into the seat beside her. She gigged as she straddled him and crushed her lips onto his. He began attacking her with the same fiery passion and started to lower her onto the seat.

"Hey there'll be none of that in my cab." The driver called.

Gwen shoved Owen off her and leant forwards between the seats. Resting her head on the driver's seat, she breathed in his ear.

"You can always pull over and join in." She whispered.

The driver gulped as she rested her hand on his leg. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he could see straight down the front of her dress. His hand shook as he placed it over hers to remove it from his leg and he tried to concentrate on the road. Owen grabbed Gwen and pulled her back.

"Oi, hands off my girl." He shouted.

"She – I -" The driver stammered.

He sighed as he saw Owen wasn't listening. He'd turned his attention back to the woman who'd just been sexually harassing him and was now eating her face off. Pressing his foot down on the accelerator, the driver prayed he'd get there and get them out of his car before it went any further.

Owen woke up the next morning, whoah, he'd been asleep, that was weird, and clutched his head in his hands. His head was pounding from the hangover he was receiving after last night. Every part of his body felt too heavy to move.

Looking around, he realised he was on the floor in his living room. Gwen was curled up on the sofa, still fast asleep. Her dress was twisted and hitched up above her knees. He vaguely remembered falling asleep next to her, he must have fallen off at some point in the night.

As he pulled himself up, every bone in his body cracked and sent shooting pains all over...and he loved it. He'd never felt so happy about a hangover.

Locating his phone, he looked down at the time.

"Shit." He groaned. It was five past eleven and there were four missed calls from Ianto and one from Jack. Bending over Gwen, he kissed her cheek and gently shook her awake. "Wake up sleepy head."

She moaned and rolled over. Owen caught her as she rolled over the side.

"Fuck." She grumbled, peeling herself away from him and sitting back on the sofa. "What the hell did we get up to last night?"

"We drank a lot...almost had sex in the back of a cab...made out on the sofa...and fell asleep." Owen recalled, squinting his eyes as he tried to remember.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Five past eleven. Jack's going to kill us." Owen answered.

"Oh God. I need to get to the Hub anyway. I need one of Ianto's extra strong coffees." Gwen mumbled. "Oh great, I've got no clean clothes. I'll have to get changed there."

Owen laughed at her and pulled her up off the sofa. She slumped against his chest and sighed.

"Aren't hangovers just great? You feel like shit but it just means you had a great night." He smiled.

"You're oddly cheerful. Normally when you come into the Hub and you're hungover, you're a grumpy sod." She said into his chest.

After eventually getting ready and having a quick breakfast, they entered the Hub. Jack was stood by the computers, waiting for them. He took in Owen's oddly cheerful expression and the dark circles under Gwen's eyes and shook his head. Then he noticed what Gwen was wearing.

"A bit overdressed for work aren't we?" He smirked.

"Piss off Jack." She growled and stalked off down to the Torchwood lockers where she kept some spare clothes.

"So how was your first night as a normal living person again?" Jack asked Owen.

"It was great. There's so many things I've missed and yesterday..." Owen grinned and winked at Jack. "I got to do them all."

"Good for you. By any chance, was one of those things torturing Gwen all night? She's looking a little rough." Jack smiled.

"She's just a bit hungover." Owen explained.

"Ah...anyway, you're both late and normally, I'd be thinking of some really hard work to give you as punishment but...it's great to have you back. I'll let you off – but just this once." Jack explained.

He patted Owen on the shoulder as he passed him and disappeared into his office. Owen noticed Tosh sitting quietly at her computer, trying not to look at him.

"Hey Tosh." He said, sitting down at his desk.

"Hey." She answered quietly.

"Everything ok?" He enquired.

"The rift's been quiet this morning. Just the usual spikes every now and then." She answered, knowing that wasn't what he'd asked about.

"Tosh...I wasn't talking about the rift. How are you Tosh?" He asked.

"I'm fine. It's wonderful that you're back and...that you've met the right woman." She replied.

Owen noticed the hurt in her voice and sighed.

"Listen Tosh, I'm happy with Gwen. I'm totally in love with her. It may sound harsh but it's the truth and...I think you should try and get over it. The right guy is out there for you, it's just...not me. You'll find him one day." Owen told her.

Tosh said nothing and refused to look at him.

Martha walked down from the boardroom followed by Ianto holding two cups of steaming coffee.

"Hey Owen, how are you feeling?" Martha asked.

"Well, apart from a banging headache, I feel fine." He answered. Ianto handed him his coffee. "Cheers mate."

"You're welcome. I made it just the way you like it. I have missed making the Owen special." Ianto smiled. "And the Miss Cooper special." He said as he handed the other cup to Gwen as she appeared by his side, now changed into something more comfortable.

"Thanks Ianto." She said gratefully and sipped it.

He nodded his head slightly and walked away.

"Well, I'll be going back to London now. They're in a bit of a pickle seeing as I just dropped tools to get here." Martha smiled.

Gwen placed her cup down and hugged her tight.

"It's been great to see you and thanks for everything." She smiled, indicating Owen.

"I didn't do anything, honestly. I was just here to make sure everything was ok." Martha explained.

Owen pulled her into a hug and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Cheers Martha." He nodded.

"See you soon." She grinned and left the Hub.

As Owen wrapped his arm around Gwen's waist, he ran a finger across her cheek.

"Your hand's so warm." She whispered, leaning into it. "It's nice."

He placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her face up.

"I love you." He whispered against her lips. They shared a gentle, tender kiss before pulling away and looking into each other's eyes. "That's one thing I'll never get enough of. No matter how much I remembered it feeling before, nothing compares to the real thing."

The moment was interrupted by Tosh coughing loudly. Gwen looked over at her guiltily and pulled away from Owen. Owen sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling her back into him.

"Owen...I can't, not here. Not in front of Tosh." She whispered. "It's not fair."

"She'll have to get used to it eventually. I'm not hiding my feelings for you just because she's got some crush on me." He argued.

"It's more than that Owen. She really loves you and -"

She was cut off by Owen's lips crashing onto hers. He held her tightly around her waist so she couldn't pull away. The way he held her left her no choice but to put her arms around his neck. Eventually, he pulled away and looked down at her.

"Well I love you and nothing or no one is going to change that." He said loud enough for Tosh to hear.

Gwen glared at him for his lack of compassion and shook her head.

"Owen." Gwen hissed.

"No he's right." Tosh said.

Gwen whipped round to look at her.

"Tosh, don't listen to him." Gwen told her.

"It's ok. You two love each other and you shouldn't have to hide it any more. It's time I moved on." Tosh said.

She turned away and walked off in the direction of the hot house.

Owen wasn't prepared for the powerful punch he received in his right arm from Gwen.

"Ouch. I might not be as breakable but I'm still delicate. At least my bruises will heal now." He moaned. "What was that for?"

"You could have been a bit more sensitive." She shouted. "Don't you realise how hard this is for her?"

"Sorry." He sighed. "Ok maybe I should have been a little bit more considerate. I'll apologise to her and we can kiss and make up. How about that?"

"That'll be perfect." She grinned.

"That punch really hurt by the way." He pouted, giving her his puppy dog eyes as he clutched his arm.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." She smirked, not giving in to him.

"It won't. Look, I think it's going to fall off." He moaned, letting his arm dangle at his side.

"You're a doctor, you can sew it back on." She shrugged.

"I'd much prefer it if you played nursey and did it for me. While you're at it, you can give me a full physical." He grinned, kissing along her jaw line and down her neck.

As he reached her pulse point, he felt her heartbeat quicken and smirked. It was amazing to feel what he was doing to her rather than just hearing and seeing her reactions.

"Hate to get in the middle of things...well...interesting thought actually..." Jack's voice sounded from behind. Owen growled in frustration and turned around. "Maybe not." He said quickly catching Owen's glare. "Anyway, Weevils in the city centre. Thought I'd give you two the dirty work seeing as you were late."

"I thought you were going to let us off." Owen pointed out.

"Changed my mind when I saw you two getting it on. Can't have all play and no work. People would start to question what sort of place I'm running." Jack grinned.

"We're on it Jack." Gwen sighed, grabbing her Weevil spray from her desk. "Didn't even get to finish my bloody coffee."

Later, with the Weevil in the back of the SUV, Gwen smiled at Owen as he drove. Gwen's head was pounding too much to concentrate on the road.

"Next time we go out, maybe we shouldn't drink so much." He laughed.

"That would be a good idea." She nodded. "Owen...what's it like, coming back to life? Jack said it was like being pulled over broken glass. Did it feel like that for you?"

Owen wondered for a moment before answering.

"Well, at first, I didn't feel anything. It was gradual, like for a split second I'd feel something and then it'd be gone again. It lasted longer every time though. Then when my organs kicked in, it was like someone was stamping on my chest. When I took my first breath, my lungs were burning. It was like I'd been drowning." He explained.

Gwen looked at him, biting her lip.

"I'm so sorry. All that pain, I just can't imagine it." She said.

"Don't worry about it. It was worth it." He told her, turning to smile at her. His smile disappeared a few seconds later as he turned back to look out of the window. "I don't envy Jack though. I only went through that once and I'll only ever have to go through it once, but he has to do it every time he's shot or worse even. When will it end for him?"

Gwen sat contemplating this while the image of Jack being shot in the head when she'd first stumbled upon them, played in her head.

"Is there anything Jack won't be able to come back from?" She asked.

Owen shrugged and sighed.

"I guess not. Even this Doctor Jack keeps banging on about couldn't fix him. If he's so amazing that Jack runs away from his own team without telling anyone, then why couldn't he help Jack?" He asked.

Gwen could tell that Owen was still bitter about Jack's disappearance. Owen had looked after Ianto while he'd gone and he'd just come back as if nothing had happened and without even thanking him.

"Well, Jack's back now and everything's as it should be, everything's right again." Gwen said, steering the conversation away from anything that would get Owen in a bad mood.

Owen laughed as he sensed this.

The Weevil in the back growled as the sedative began to wear off.

"Oi, face ache, shut up. My hangover's getting worse so you really don't want to get on my bad side." Owen called over his shoulder.

The Weevil growled louder and launched itself at the separation between it and them.

"I'm on it." Gwen told him.

She slipped off her seatbelt and started to squeeze between the seats to get to the back. Owen grinned at her arse.

"Nice view." He smirked.

"You can admire it later. Help me through, I'm stuck." She groaned.

Taking one hand off the wheel, he placed it on her arse and pushed. With one last grunt, she was through.

Owen watched in the mirror as Gwen sprayed the Weevil in it's face through the bars. With one last snarl, it relaxed and slumped into the corner, looking around dazed.

"Thank God for that." Owen mumbled, rubbing his forehead. "I take it back, I'm not grateful for getting hangovers again."

Owen took the Weevil down to the cells in the Hub when they got back. After pushing it into a cell, he stared at it through the glass. It hissed lazily at him as it crouched in a corner. There was a time when the Weevils used to back down from him, scared about something no one could explain. Now though, they didn't seem as frightened and treated him like a normal person.

He walked over to a cell where a few livelier Weevils were being kept. They growled and snarled at him as he stood in front of them. He didn't try putting his finger through one of the holes in the glass because he knew they wouldn't think twice about biting it off.

"Reminiscing about the old days?" A voice asked.

Owen turned to see Jack stood in the doorway watching him.

"Something like that." Owen replied.

Jack walked over to him and watched the Weevils through the glass. They both stayed silent for a few minutes. He knew that Jack knew exactly what he was thinking so there was no point in saying anything. A non-verbal conversation passed between them.

"So Gwen tells me the spray isn't having as long an effect on them any more." Jack said finally.

"No, it wore off after a couple of minutes. Probably evolving or mutating or whatever it is they do again." Owen shrugged.

"That's all we need. The one alien species we can control no longer in our control." Jack sighed.

"Yeah, not good." Owen nodded. "Hey, gave me an excuse to touch my girlfriend's arse."

Jack raised an eyebrow and smirked at a grinning Owen. He was just about to make a comment when Gwen interrupted them.

"Girlfriend?" She asked, staring past Jack at Owen. "Jack, Ianto's looking for you. He's in a bit of a panic, I think he broke his coffee machine." She said, still not looking at the Captain as she addressed him.

"I'll just go...see to him." Jack nodded, sensing she wanted him to leave them alone.

When he left, Owen took Gwen's hand and pulled her close so that he could wrap an arm around her waist.

"Did you just call me your girlfriend?" She whispered.

"Well, I know it's only been two days but...I like to think of you as my girlfriend." He smiled. "Why, do you not like it?"

"No I...I like it. I just wasn't sure you felt that way enough to call me that." She mumbled.

"Of course I do Gwen, I love you." He told her, hugging her tight to his chest.

His eyes closed as he felt her heart beating against his chest.

"I love you too." She sighed dreamily. "Mmm...you're so warm."

"I haven't got poor circulation any more. It felt like fire running through my veins when it got going again. I wasn't used to feeling so warm, made me sweat for a while." He joked.

"I like it. You're so warm and cosy, I wish I could stay here all day. The Weevils would get a bit annoying though, all that bloody growling they do. Plus, you have a job to do." She grinned.

"I do?" He frowned.

"Yes. You're going to apologise to Tosh for earlier." She told him.

"Fine, I'm going." He sighed.

"Good." She smiled. Giving him a quick kiss on the lips, she pushed him towards the door. He felt something slap his arse and turned to look back at her. She wiggled her fingers at him grinning, her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Payback."

Owen chuckled and walked out of the cells. She was so going to get it. He wouldn't tell her when but when he got her, it'd be good.

He found Toshiko at her station doing some technological thing he couldn't work out.

"Tosh...I just came to apologise for what happened earlier." He said quietly.

"It's fine Owen. Don't worry about it." She mumbled.

"No, I shouldn't have handled the situation like that. It was insensitive and I'm really sorry." He said sincerely.

Toshiko turned to smile at him.

"Thank you. Apology accepted." She nodded.

He nodded back, unsure of what to say or do now. He'd never been good on apologies which was why he never bothered with them before.

"Right." He said and sat down at his desk.

He thought about the clutter covering his desk and spilling over to Gwen's adjoining desk and the tidiness of Gwen's flat. Picking up empty food packets from months ago, he decided to tidy up. His own flat had become spotless since the accident. With nothing else to do at home, tidying was the only thing to keep him occupied.

He'd managed to get both desks as organised as possible when Gwen appeared by his side.

"What do you think?" He grinned.

"It's tidy for once." She laughed. "Who did you pay to do it?"

"Hey, I did this all by myself." He pouted.

"It looks lovely." She smiled. "Listen, I've got to pop out for a bit. Rhys called and said he needs to talk about something. I'll be back in a bit, we're just going for a bit of lunch."

"How long are you going to be?" He asked, a stab of jealousy pulsing through him.

"I'm not sure." She shrugged.

"Well, what does he want?" Owen enquired.

"I don't know. He just wants to talk Owen. I'll see you later." She sighed.

Before she turned to leave, Owen crushed his lips onto hers and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. He grinned inwardly as her hands locked in his hair and she pressed herself into him. When they broke apart, she smiled up at him, dazed. He let her go and watched as she left the Hub. He caught Tosh looking at him, her eyebrows raised.

"She's not going to forget that while she's talking to Rhys." He grinned smugly.

"Jealous much?" Tosh asked. "Don't you trust her?"

"Of course I trust her...I just don't trust him." He answered.

"They're only going to talk." She told him.

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if he says he wants to get back together?" He asked.

"He might." Tosh shrugged. "But she loves you. She's been waiting for you for a while now, she hasn't said anything but I know she has. She's not going to let you go after all that." Tosh reassured him. "She might still have feelings for Rhys but they're nothing compared to how she feels about you. Gwen won't go back to Rhys after how badly her relationship went with him."

Owen sat tapping on his desk with his hands until both Jack and Tosh had shouted at him to stop. Even in his office, Jack couldn't block out the tapping.

Every five minutes, Owen sighed in frustration.

"Owen isn't there an autopsy or anything you can be getting on with?" Jack called.

"No. We haven't got any new bodies and I finished all my paperwork the other day." He answered.

"Just relax then. It's not often you have free time with this job." Jack said.

"Yeah I can really relax when my girlfriend's having lunch with her ex. Her hangover's cleared up then." He mumbled.

"I thought you trusted her." Toshiko said.

"I do." He sighed. "I know she won't do anything."

"Then relax." Ianto's voice suddenly said as he placed a cup of coffee on the desk in front of him. "You've got nothing to worry about. If she was going with someone like Jack...then I'd start to worry."

"Hey." Jack called, offended. "I'm a one man guy, I'll have you know. Well...now I am." He grinned at Ianto.

Ianto rolled his eyes and went to sit on the sofa under the Torchwood sign.

Owen's stomach churned as he waited for Gwen to return, a sensation he found strange after months of no movement of his insides at all.

Two hours later, the rolling door opened and Gwen stood in the entrance. He knew immediately that there was something wrong. He didn't need to see the tear stains on her cheeks to notice. He'd picked up on her emotions straight away, something he'd picked up on when he realised he was infatuated with her.

He walked over to her and and pulled her into a tight hug.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"It's nothing." She whispered and shoved something in her pocket. As she pulled away, she refused to look at him. "Owen, I need some time alone. Sorry I just...need some space."

No one said a word as she disappeared up to the boardroom.

"What the hell has he said to her?" Owen shouted. "Who does he think he is, upsetting her like that."

"Owen calm down." Jack ordered. "She's upset. She needs someone to be there for her and comfort her, not someone that's going to rant and shout and make the situation worse." He waited until Owen had calmed down a bit more before carrying on. "When she's ready, she'll come to you and maybe explain to you what's wrong. But you need to calm down and be patient."

Owen closed his eyes and nodded. Sighing, he sat back down at his desk. As he looked up towards the boardroom, he saw Gwen staring down at him holding something in her hand. He watched her wipe a tear and felt his heart sinking. This was not how he'd imagined their relationship starting. They were supposed to be happy together not him sitting around worried sick while she was in another room crying.

After ten minutes, Owen had had enough waiting.

"Sorry Jack, but I'm going up there. I can't just sit here when she's up there upset." He said as he half ran to the boardroom.

Gwen was sitting at the table with her back to the door when he walked in. Her head was bent over and her shoulders shook as she cried.

Silently, he pulled a chair up next to her and sat down. As he put his arm around her, she leant into him and buried her face in his chest.

"Tell me what's wrong." He whispered.

A few minutes passed before she sat up and reached for something in her pocket. She brought out a little box and opened it. Inside was the engagement ring Rhys had given her when he'd proposed.

"He said he still he wants to be together. He still wants to get married." She told him quietly.

"And...what do you want?" Owen asked.

"I don't know. I thought I didn't love him but...when he said that...I do...I still love him." She whispered. He felt his heart breaking. Just when he thought it had been put back together again, here it was shattering into a million pieces. "I don't love him enough though. Not enough to make it work and I think of our relationship before. All we did was fight all the time, I can't go through it any more. He said we can make it work this time but we tried to before and it just didn't work. Then there's you. I love you so much and we're happy together. I always hoped...when Rhys asked me to marry him, the main reason I said yes was because I thought there was no hope for us."

"We're here now." Owen said. "I wish it had happened sooner so things could be so much different. I love you Gwen. Please give us a chance."

"It's more than that though." She sighed, running her finger over the ring. "My relationship with Rhys was flawed but...we had our future planned out ahead of us. I don't know if I can do that all over again."

"You can. We can have any future you want if you just give us a chance. " Owen told her.

She stared into his eyes for a moment before pulling her phone out.

"I've made my decision, I'm calling Rhys." She said. Owen's heart broke into even more pieces. He closed his eyes and hung his head. He felt Gwen's warm, soft hand cupping his cheek applying slight pressure to lift his face up. He opened his eyes and looked straight into hers. "I'm calling him...so I can arrange to give him his ring back."

"You're...you're not going back to him?" He whispered. Gwen shook her head and smiled. "You're staying with me?" She nodded. "I love you so much."

Their lips met in a fiery, passionate kiss and tongues battled for dominance. He pulled her onto his lap and his fingers tangled in her hair. Owen felt the familiar shiver run through her body as she moaned into the kiss. His lips left hers causing her to whimper at the loss of contact. Seconds later, another moan escaped her lips as he attacked her neck with his lips. He pushed her jacket off her shoulders to gain more access. Her head fell back and she gasped. Gripping her hips, he pushed her to sit on the table and stood between her legs. His hands wandered under her shirt.

"Owen..." She breathed in his ear. "Owen we should stop before this goes too far."

He pulled away and sighed.

"Yeah, I don't want to have to explain the interesting imprints on the table to Ianto." He nodded. "But we will finish this later."

"Yes, my place after work." She smirked. Pulling her off the table, he hugged her tight to his chest. "I love you."

"Love you too." He grinned.

For the first time since joining Torchwood, he felt complete.

Watching as she made her phone call to Rhys, he thought back over the last couple of months. He couldn't understand why Jack had brought him back. His life was over and he was stuck, just existing and watching the woman he loved live her life without him. She could give her life to him but he couldn't give his to her. But then Gwen had given him that second chance at life by giving him her love. For that he would always be grateful and made him love her even more.

In that moment, he promised to give her the future she'd dreamed of and more.


End file.
